


Rest, Kakashi-sensei

by Kalira



Category: Naruto
Genre: Chakra exhaustion, Competent Haruno Sakura, Exhaustion, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Whumptober, Whumptober 2019, Worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-08 18:28:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20840048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalira/pseuds/Kalira
Summary: When Kakashi-sensei overextends himself on a mission (again) Sakura knows just what to do, if she can just wheedle her sensei to actually take the rest he needs.





	Rest, Kakashi-sensei

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [Whumptober](https://whumptober2019.tumblr.com/post/187356400823/october-approaches-and-so-does-whumptober-2019), Day 1: Shaky Hands
> 
> This idea occurred to me at 6am yesterday, i.e. when I was going to sleep for the night. I wrote it up quickly yesterday evening.
> 
> This is not part of my [Training Sakura](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1187928) canon divergence series, but does feature Sakura as Kakashi's sole student and now apprentice after Team 7 broke apart. (There will be at least one more in a similar world, and possibly several, from me for Whumptober prompts.)

Sakura slowed when Kakashi-sensei did, regulating her breathing carefully - she wasn’t quite out of breath, but it had been a long run from the little clearing where they’d fought, and Kakashi-sensei had gotten them moving immediately upon finishing their checks of all the fallen enemy nin.

A moment later Kakashi-sensei dropped out of the tree ahead of her, and Sakura bounded forwards and let herself drop as well. She straightened neatly _right_ in front of him and grinned. The corner of Kakashi-sensei’s eye wrinkled a little but he didn’t _smile_, and she tried not to frown, tilting her head and watching him.

Kakashi-sensei tilted his head to one side and Sakura obligingly followed him into a small clear space beneath one tree that was not nearly as large as it should be - it was always strange, being outside Hi no Kuni, for many reasons. “We’ll camp here. I’ll set the perimeter while you get us set up inside, mm?”

“Yes, Kakashi-sensei.” Sakura said obediently, smiling and beginning to dig through scrolls and- She paused. “Fire or not, Kakashi-sensei?”

“We can have a fire.” Kakashi-sensei answered absently, already moving off a little way. Sakura unsealed both of their ‘night kits’ and began setting up the bedrolls, then paused. Something wasn’t. . . Sakura sat back on her heels and _watched_ Kakashi-sensei properly for a few moments. She frowned, rising and moving to a good space for a firepit and absently beginning to clear it, eyes on her sensei from around her fringe.

After another minute she abandoned pretence, rose once more, and went directly to him where he was walking the perimeter of the small camp. “Kakashi-sensei, are you all right?”

Kakashi-sensei turned towards her with a blank look. “I’m fine, pup.” he said easily, and patted her head, a familiar gesture that felt ever so slightly _off_ this time. “Do you need help?”

“No, I’ve got it!” Sakura said, frowning a bit more at the implication. It was _setting up camp_, it was well within her capabilities.

“I’ll be a bit longer with this, then.” Kakashi-sensei said, turning partially away and raising his hands to shape seals.

Sakura’s eyes narrowed, then widened again suddenly. Kakashi-sensei’s thin fingers, always so quick and clever and strong, were _shaking_. She moved around him - carefully - and laced her own fingers around his forearm, knowing he wouldn’t respond aggressively. Not to her.

“Kakashi-sensei. . .” Sakura looked down at his hands as they stilled. They were trembling, even as he curled his fingers inwards, likely trying to steady them. “_I_ can set the traps.” she said, tugging at Kakashi-sensei gently. “I can do it. Please sit down.”

Kakashi-sensei smiled at her, quick and empty, the one that Sakura hardly ever got any more, and she cringed a little inwardly, fighting both a whine and the impulse to back away.

“I’m fine, pup.” Kakashi-sensei said, lifting the hand she wasn’t holding and waving it idly, flicking two fingers. The gesture was almost steady.

Almost, but not quite.

Sakura _did_ whine then, and Kakashi-sensei’s smile faltered. She took a step closer, tugging at Kakashi-sensei’s arm. “_Please_, sensei. Sit down and rest. I don’t want you to fall or- or. . .” She swallowed. She’d seen Kakashi-sensei worn to collapse by chakra exhaustion too many times; ashy and unmoving. Every time she was afraid _this time_ would be the one where Kakashi-sensei went down and never got up again.

“Pup, I-”

“Am I not good enough?” Sakura asked, with a niggling bit of uncertainty but mostly because she knew he wouldn’t lie to her about her abilities, and making the point might get through to him. “For you to trust my work?”

“You’re good at traps.” Kakashi-sensei allowed, dipping his head slightly and taking a moment to get it back upright. He _really_ needed to be resting.

“Not as good as you, I know,” Sakura said, looking up at her sensei with wide, worried eyes and nudging him backwards carefully, keeping her hold on his forearm; she could still feel tremors running through the whipcord muscle under her hands, “but I have to _do_ it to get better, right? And I’m good enough for this?”

And _Kakashi-sensei_ was no doubt not as good as Kakashi-sensei right now, when he looked like _standing up_ was sapping what little strength he might have left. Sakura swallowed back concerned questions and only smiled at him as he finally, _finally_ sank down to rest, with a bit less grace than usual, settling on his bedroll.

“Just rest, Kakashi-sensei,” Sakura said, leaning down and hugging him tight for a moment, “I’ll take care of it. I promise.”

“Maa, maa, of course you will, pup.” Kakashi-sensei said with a faint _real_ smile.

Something eased in Sakura’s chest and she smiled and nodded in response, rising to set to work trapping the perimeter of their camp. She kept an eye on Kakashi-sensei as she went, trying to be subtle about it, and sighed with relief when he turned and sank down the rest of the way, stretching out on his bedroll, body going lax - as lax as he ever did when they weren’t in Konoha. And even then he was always alarmingly tense. Sakura wasn’t sure Kakashi-sensei _ever_ really relaxed.

She shook her head and unspooled another loop of chakra wire as she trotted up the trunk of the tree that overshadowed most of their camp.

Kakashi-sensei’s eye was closed when Sakura came back down, and she passed close by, crouching to check on him. She suspected he was asleep, though it was always difficult to tell with Kakashi-sensei, even when he _wasn’t_ purposely holding the pretence. She drew a blanket over him anyway, though he’d lain down in his full gear, including his flak vest.

Then she got up and returned to making their camp as safe as she could.

* * *

Kakashi hadn’t meant to fall asleep, even when he’d let his pup bully him into going to rest before he even finished setting up the guard perimeter for their camp, but evidently he had. It was dark when he opened his eye, save for the dull glow of a banked fire nearby, and-

Kakashi pushed himself up, his muscles aching, more from the harsh drain of his chakra than actual exertion. Sakura was slouched against the trunk of the tree by the head of his bedroll, head tipped sideways at an uncomfortable-looking angle, her left hand resting just shy of where his head had been. The warmth he had felt near his temple.

Kakashi shook his head slightly, smiling. He moved towards her and reached up, his hands a little steadier now, to brush his fingers over her brow. She murmured in her sleep but didn’t do more than stir.

Kakashi tugged her towards him and, knowing better than to pick her up if he didn’t have to right now, even if he was steadier than he had been before he slept, laid her back in his own bedroll, covering her with the blanket she must have drawn over him whilst he slept. He ran his fingers through her hair, plucking her hitai ate away and leaving it beside the bedroll within easy reach for her, moving the pouches she had taken off there as well.

There were two pots resting in the coals right at the edge of the fire, and Kakashi found that one contained tea and the other rice and soup from the mix in their travel packs. Better by far than the ration bars he would have wolfed down - if he remembered, or had the energy - if he’d been alone. Sakura’s bowl and cup were stacked by the firepit, in need of washing, so at least she had eaten, even if the pot of soup was full nearly to brimming. Kakashi helped himself, ravenous, his body demanding refuelling after he had drained his chakra almost completely today.

As he ate he inspected the camp, which was as neatly set out as ever when Sakura was charged with the duty.

He could feel the low hum of the same warding jutsu he had been just beginning when his pup stopped him, and his brows rose - he hadn’t _taught_ her that one yet, and he hadn’t realised she knew it; clever, _sneaky_ little pup - and while there was little sign, he was sure that Sakura had layered the usual network of traps around their camp as well. He glanced back at his pup, shaking his head slightly, his surprise lingering.

Sakura had curled onto her side facing him, tugging a fold of his blanket into her arms, and Kakashi snorted, fondly amused. He finished the entire portion of food she had left for him, probably could have eaten more, and drank his tea, which was too sweet . . . but he probably needed the sugar. He grimaced and tossed it back anyway. It was hardly the worst thing he’d subjected himself to consuming.

Leaving his dishes beside Sakura’s to wash in the morning, when they broke camp, Kakashi hauled himself up and moved back over to his pup. He knelt and extended a hand, resting it on Sakura’s shoulder. Her chakra felt fine, and she was resting peacefully. Good.

Kakashi groaned silently as he forced himself up again, moving to Sakura’s empty bedroll and all but falling into it, aching in every muscle. He rolled himself into the blanket and let sleep take over again, trusting in his pup’s work on their camp.

**Author's Note:**

> Kakashi wondering at Sakura leaving him an excessive amount of food and tea sweeter than she is well aware (he knows) he likes it.
> 
> Hm, it's almost like she knows, _for some reason_, how to encourage recovery from chakra exhaustion. . .


End file.
